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Tuesday, October 30, 2012

I was tagged by the lovely Ellie from Ellalogy to participate in this "Think Pink" tag. The purpose of the tag is to raise awareness about breast cancer, especially considering October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

2) Spread the message about breast cancer to a female friend/family in your life - the awareness, the symptoms, the checks, the healthy foods that helps prevent the disease... anything or everything! (I found this website that is a good place to start. Links to many helpful reads and resources)

I do not directly know anyone affected by breast cancer, but I've been involved in breast cancer awareness from an early age. Each year my all-girls high school would team up with other all-girls schools in the area for Girls For the Cure, a walk to raise awareness about the disease and gather donations for breast cancer research. While I'm not an expert on the topic, I will mention that 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime (source). When I started doing Girls For the Cure at 13 years old (6 years ago), the statistic was 1 in 3, so there have been advancements in breast cancer research, which is amazing, but the disease is still prevalent.

I kinda cheated and picked two wishlist items for my random and makeup picks, but here goes:

Random: This Kitchen Aid mixer. I've been super into cooking lately and I would really like to invest in a proper mixer. If you go to this website you can take a quiz to find out which color mixer matches your personality. I got Almond Cream, but I think this pink one is way cuter!

Fashion: The only pink fashion item I own is this pink beanie from Forever 21 that I bought last year. I'm so upset because I can't find it anywhere! This is the only picture I have of me wearing it. LOL.

Food: Cotton candy, of course! Not much to say here!

Makeup: I've been lusting after this Chanel lipstick in the color "Boy" for a long time now, especially since Fleur de Force has recommended it.

I'm a little late in doing the tag because I was having a bit of trouble thinking of my responses, and unfortunately we're nearing the end of the month BUT I tag any blogger who reads this because it's for a worthwhile cause, and it's fun :)

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Hey guys! I was at Sephora yesterday and I got really excited to see all the amazing holiday deals going on right now, so I thought I would share them with you. Each individual brand is having their own specials, which I will talk more about in part two of this post, but Sephora is also doing a bunch "Sephora Favorites" holiday sampler packages. If I understand correctly, you need to purchase the entire package, test out the products, and then present the coupon found inside the box to receive a full-size version of the product you liked best.

I'll show you guys each of the packages and what I would be excited to receive in each package. I think these will make excellent Christmas/Hanukkah/etc gifts, but I also think they're going to sell out SUPER quickly, so you may need to act fast!

Sephora Favorites Give Me Some Lip lip sampler: - 0.08 oz Fresh Sugar Rosé’ Tinted Lip Treatment (sheer berry rose)- 0.12 oz Hourglass Extreme Sheen High Shine Lip Gloss in Child (sheer nude)- 0.1 oz Bite Beauty Lip Shine in Vintage (sheer mauve)- 0.1 oz Laura Mercier Lip Glace in Baby Doll (soft pink shimmer)- 0.1 oz Tarte LipSurgence™ Natural Matte Lip Tint in Hope (warm rose)- 0.5 oz Sephora Collection Glossy Gloss in Precious Pink (very sheer pink with iridescent shimmer)The most exciting product in this kit, for me, is definitely the Tarte LipSurgence lip tint. As you'll see in a subsequent post, Tarte has a bunch of holiday sets of their own (including one that sells five fullsize lip tints), but if you're interested in just testing out the product, this is a really great deal. I'm not too excited about the Fresh Sugar Rose tinted lip treatment because Sephora lovers will already have picked this up in their free birthday gift (and, to be honest, it wasn't my favorite product ever). The Hourglass lip gloss looks nice but I wish they put in their liquid lipstick instead. Oh, and notice how there's no lipsticks in here? Hmmm.One last thing I'll say about this package is that it's a lot smaller in size than the other ones, and it looks a little measly as a gift on its own, but other than that I think this is a fantastic deal.Sephora Favorites Deluxe Fragrance Sampler For Her:- 0.05 oz Ralph Lauren Romance- 0.06 oz Gucci Flora by Gucci- 0.05 oz Michael Kors Gold- 0.04 oz Vera Wang Lovestruck- 0.04 oz Oh, Lola Marc Jacobs- 0.03 oz Pucci Miss Pucci Intense- 0.03 oz Kenzo FlowerbyKenzo- 0.03 oz FENDI Fan di Fendi- 0.04 oz Taylor Swift Wonderstruck- 0.04 oz Hanae Mori Butterfly- Bonus: Refillable Fragrance AtomizerI don't have much to say about this set because I'm not huge on perfumes right now, but I would be very excited about the Taylor Swift Wonderstruck perfume because I know I really love that one. I wish they had Prada Candy in here because I've been dying to try that. I feel like this would be a great gift for like, my mom or my aunt. Also, I have no idea what a "refillable fragrance atomizer" is? If someone knows please tell me in the comments!

Of course, this would make a really nice gift if you know anyone getting married, but then again, I would be thrilled to receive this and I'm not getting married! The voucher and keepsake box are a cute touch, so I commend Sephora on that one. I would be most interested in Stila Eye Shadow in Kitten, Benefit Porefessional, Tarte Lights, Camera, Splashes! Mascara (if I'm not mistaken this is a waterproof mascara, which is kinda essential on a wedding day), and Boscia blotten linens. Yep, this is definitely a box I would love to receive.

Sephora Favorites Lash Stash mascara sampler:- 0.142 oz Tarte multiplEYE - Clinically Proven Lash Enhancing Primer- 0.068 oz Sephora Collection Outrageous Volume Mascara in Ultra Black- 0.169 oz Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes! In Black- 0.14 oz Lancôme Hypnôse Drama Mascara in Excessive Black- 0.128 oz Korres Volcanic Minerals Volumizing Mascara in Obsidian Black- 0.14 oz Clinique High Impact Mascara in Black- 0.1 oz Benefit They're Real! Mascara in Black- 0.2 oz Buxom Lash in Blackest Black- 0.1 oz Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Volumizing Mascara in Black- Sephora Collection False Eye Lashes in Flutter- 0.01 oz Sephora Collection Eyelash Glue- 0.29 oz Beautenizer Fiberwig in Black- 0.38 oz Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara in Jet BlackThis box is similar to the one I bought the other day from Pharmaprix (click HERE to see), except this one is more expensive and includes twice the amount of product. This one's super cool because you get primers and false lashes, as well as mascara. I think I'd be really excited to try out any of these mascaras, to be honest. This is a great set for a beauty blogger because it's going to be fun to test them all out and choose which one is the best. If I had to choose one I'd be most excited about it would be Benefit They're Real! because I've heard a lot about it.Sephora Favorites In The Glow blush/bronzer/highlighter sampler:- 0.13 oz Benefit High Beam- 0.08 oz Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder- 0.17 oz Tarte Natural Cheek Stain in Flush- 0.07 oz Stila Convertible Color in Peony- 0.11 oz Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush in Splendor- 0.106 oz Lorac Perfectly Lit Oil-Free Luminizing Powder in Spotlight- 0.02 oz bareMinerals All Over Face Color in Pure Radiance- 0.14 oz Laura Mercier Shimmer Bloc in Golden Mosaic- 0.08 oz Nars Bronzing Powder in LagunaAlright, so this is definitely the kit I would love to receive the most because it contains three of my favorite beauty products: blush, bronzer and highlighters. I can't really pick the product I would love to try out the most because I think they're all kind of amazing. I already own NARS Laguna, and I love it, so this is a great addition. I think the tarte Amazonian Clay blush would be great, but that Laura Mercier Shimmer Bloc also looks heavenly. Ahhh! This is such an amazing gift.

Sephora Favorites Super Stars beauty essentials:- 0.035 oz Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Powder- 0.063 oz Sephora Collection Microsmooth Baked Eyeshadow Trio in Sunset- 0.16 oz Nars Blush in Orgasm- 0.33 oz Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer- 0.50 oz Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment- 0.50 oz Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil- 0.3 oz Benefit They're Real! Mascara - 0.15 oz Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Polish in Dolly - 0.016 oz Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner- 0.20 oz Chloé RollerballThis is the most expensive kit out of the bunch because this one actually includes five full-sized products--Nars Blush, Stila Eyeliner, Benefit mascara, Buxom lip gloss, and Sephora eyeshadow trio. Yes. A full-sized NARS Orgasm. While this is an incredible deal, there are less products in this one that I'm going to get excited about. The MUFE microfinish powder looks interesting, but the container is literally minuscule. Of course the NARS blush is really great, and the Benefit mascara, but I don't think rest of this box is anything to write home about.Sephora Favorites Draw The Line eyeliner sampler:- 0.12 oz Smashbox Jet Set Waterproof Eye Liner in Midnight Black- 0.025 oz MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Eyes Waterproof Eyeliner in Mat Black 0L - 0.007 oz Buxom Insider Eyeliner in Black Jasper - 0.007 oz Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper - 0.058 oz Urban Decay 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Perversion - 0.011 oz Sephora Collection Waterproof Retractable Eyeliner in 09 Glitter BlackAt first, I thought this was the least-exciting box in the bunch, but now that I'm reading what's in it, I actually think I would really love this. There's a good mix of liquid and pencil liner, waterproof and regular. The MUFE and Urban Decay liners are especially intriguing, since these are two brands that I love perusing whenever I'm at Sephora.All in all, these gift sets are all amazing deals because a lot of the time, one or two full-size items in the boxes will cover the cost of the entire thing. This way, you can experiment with different brands and broaden your Sephora horizon ;) So yeah! Great gift idea for anyone you know that loves makeup. Let me know in the comments which of these packages you would most love to receive!

Friday, October 26, 2012

I'M SO EXCITED! Thank you guys so much for following! I honestly appreciate it because I love blogging, so seeing that so many of you are interested in my opinion is really gratifying.

I started this blog because I wanted something fruitful to come out of my cosmetics obsession, and because I'm getting started with a Communications degree right now, I thought this would be a perfect way to mesh both worlds. I honestly have the right mind to scrap the degree and focus on blogging because I like it that much... But I won't do that ;)

I know many of you are following because I've been casually mentioning an upcoming giveaway here and there, but I do hope you genuinely enjoy my posts because I work really hard on them. As for the giveaway, though, I'm waiting for a few more items to come in mail. I might also pop by the mall today and pick up a few more things depending on how I feel. I have many smaller items right now but I want there to be a larger/pricier prize in the mix so I'll have a look at Sephora and MAC today.

Again, thank you very much for sticking with me and I hope you'll be around for my 1000 follower celebration ;)

Love,
Erica

Here's a quick NOTD for you guys because I didn't want to post this without a photo. Now, my camera batteries are dead so I need to go pick up some new ones and I had to take these photos with my iPad so they're not the best. ANYWAY.

This is Essie's Bahama Mama which everyone has been loving. I actually really like it as well. It's a creme finish which has become one of my favorites, and the color is literally indescribable. In some lights it's more of a brown-toned red, "bordeaux" if you will, but in other lights it's really plum-y! I've kinda been staring at my nails a lot so I think that's the sign of a good nail polish!

Let me know what you guys think in the comments! And, again, thank you for following!

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Hey everyone! On Saturday I got tickets for a VIP beauty event at the Pharmaprix near my house (called Shopper's Drug Mart elsewhere in Canada), and I purchased a few new products and received some cool items in my goodie bag! Additionally, Pharmaprix was giving 20x the Optimum points that day, so I had $30 extra to spend and I bought some giveaway items (which will be up as soon as I hit 100 followers).

Basically, if you purchased $50 worth of products, you received a goodie bag from Pharmaprix, and then the individual makeup counters were having their own special promotions as well.

I got my makeup done at the Stila counter (PHOTOS HERE), and I purchased their One Step Corrector and their In the Know palette. I also got a Stila makeup case (free with my $80+ purchase) which I didn't take photos of because I might end up giving it away. While I was there I thought I might as well pick up the Batiste Dry Shampoo I've been wanting (especially considering it was 20x the Optimum points). Full reviews on all three of these products to come.

I went with my mom so we ended up getting two gift bags. In the first one we received:

Heidi Klum "Shine" perfume (which I'm not too much of a fan of so I might start a blog sale, let me know if you'd be interested)

This was my last purchase of the day: an amazing mascara sampler! Canadians, definitely get your hands on this if you can because it's an incredible deal. Basically, you get seven deluxe samples of high-end mascara to test, and you bring back the coupon inside to claim a full-size version of the one you like the most! The whole thing is $40 which is a deal if you consider the individual prices of each of these. Of course, I'll be reviewing all of them and letting you know which one I liked the most.

Clarins Instant Definition Mascara

Shiseido Perfect Mascara

Benefit Badgal Lash Mascara

Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Mascara

Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara

Lisa Watier 24 HRS Glam Mascara

Lancome Hypnose Doll Lashes Mascara

I didn't take photos of these, but my mom got her makeup done at the Lancome counter and bought a Lancome Artliner in an eggplant color (awesome, because I adore the Lancome artliner), and a lipstick. She also got a free makeup bag full of Lancome goodies for purchasing those products.

All in all, this was a very fruitful day as you can see! If Pharmaprix or Shopper's is having a VIP event like this near you, I urge you to go because it was a lot of fun. They also had a photographer, buffet, and hair dresser!

Anyway, let me know in the comments which of these products you would most like to try! :)

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Hey everyone! Today I went to a VIP event at Pharmaprix (or Shopper's Drugmart if you live elsewhere in Canada), and I picked up a ton of goodies! I'll do some sort of haul/"unboxing" in a later post, but for now I just wanted to show you all the makeup I had done at the Stila counter!

Eyes:

Stila Smudge Crayon in the shades Kitten, Antique and Black

Stila Glamoureyes Mascara

Face:

Stila One Step Corrector (primer)

Stila foundation

Stila Sheer Pressed Powder

Stila Custom Color blush in Pink

Lips:

Stila lip stain in Cherry Crush

I ended up buying Stila's One Step Corrector and their In The Glow palette (which is all matte)! Review and EOTDs to come :)

Friday, October 19, 2012

I wanted to adress a topic that has been affecting my life during the past few months. First off, I want to mention that I'm a very sensitive person. If something affects me, it will cut right to the core and it will linger. I lament over every mistake I've made, and I take everything to heart. So I hope you don't think I'm being overly dramatic ;)

Ever since my parents divorced when I was fourteen years old (I'm 19 now), it's been tough financially. Luckily, my parents can afford to split the cost of university, and I live with my mom so I don't have to pay for groceries or anything like that. It's been this way since I was about 15 and could work.

That said, I have to pay for my clothes, social life, and personal items (including cosmetics and all that). Note that I don't say this regretfully because I am an adult and I know the major expenses are yet to come. But, especially during the summer, it can get quite hard because with so much free time, everyone wants to hang out all the time and it can get expensive. So. I wanted to share with you all the story of how my bank account hit rock bottom.

I should probably explain my job situation first. Last year, I had three jobs and I worked 5-6 days per week while being a full-time student. It was really, really tough. I became very unhappy and I dreaded waking up in the morning because I was under so much pressure. Given the added fact that I hated one of the three jobs (the one wherein I coincidently worked most often), life was not good. So I quit. And I quit my tutoring job as well, leaving me with one job that consisted of a single Saturday shift.

I guess you can say the Saturday job is seasonal, because during the summer I got zero work hours. Zero. Not because my boss was giving away the hours to other employees, but because many clients were on vacation and there was no need for me to go in. That said, my bank account was at a decent amount because of the money I put in while I worked the other jobs. I'd be okay for the summer.

Then, my mom made plans to spend two weeks of summer vacation in Italy, and from there, it all went downhill. I guess I didn't properly convert Canadian dollars to Euros, because in terms of the money I had in my bank account, it was a "here today, gone tomorrow" kinda situation. And, I bought a lot of stuff. I didn't realize just how much until I got home.

About a week after I got back, I had plans to meet up with some friends to catch up. I missed one of my best friend's birthdays while I was gone, so before meeting up I went to the mall to pick up a giftcard for her (it was the least I could do). I picked up the giftcard and wandered over to the MAC counter because I was intrigued about their new line of MSFs. Without thinking twice about it, I picked up the MSF I wanted and brought it straight to the counter, only to be told that my card was declined... Yup. That happened. In real life. I made something up about not yet depositing my paycheck and ran away as fast as I could. I made my way to the nearest ATM machine to see exactly how much money I had in there. It was less than $30, no doubt...

$15.05. I wanted to cry. How was this even possible? A month ago I had over a thousand dollars saved up. I called my mom right away to try and make sense of everything, but she was completely unsympathetic and said "Well what did you expect? You spend your money like it's nothing." I don't know what I was hoping she'd say, but that's definitely not what I wanted to hear, so I got frustrated, and then she got frustrated, and it ended in tears (on my end, of course).

And then I realized, how am I supposed to go for dinner if I can't pay for it? And then I also realized I owed my friend $75 for my ticket to Wicked. I haven't outright asked my parents for money in such a long time, but I felt like I had no choice. Since my mom wasn't too happy with me, I went to my dad who saw how upset I was and lent me some money. So I ended up being okay for the night. But what about the rest of the summer? What was I going to do, pennyless and jobless?

I think I was scarred from my last job that I ended up hating, so the prospect of going out and finding a job was absolutely dreadful. I couldn't enjoy the rest of my summer hanging out with my friends because it was too expensive, and I couldn't muster up the courage to find a job. Basically, I was looking forward to a summer of being totally broke, doing absolutely nothing, and having my parents nag at me to find a job. Every second day my parents would remind me how much money I owed them.

I tried my best to see as many friends as I could, having get togethers that didn't require spending money. I told my friends about my situation rather jokingly, too: "Can we stay in? Guys, I'm sooo poor right now." And they'd agree, not thinking too much of it. Little did they know, I had close to $0 to my name. Some kept pressuring me to go out with them and while I tried to explain, they just couldn't understand why I wouldn't ask my parents for money. To be fair, they didn't say that out loud, but I could tell that's what they were thinking.

A month into summer, things started weighing on me emotionally. I felt totally helpless in my situation. One night at supper, I broke down to my mom. I remember telling her: "I don't know what's more embarrassing: having to ask you and daddy for money, or telling my friends I can't afford to hang out with them." My mom told me to estimate how much money I'd need for the rest of the summer, and that she'd pay. That was really nice of her, and although I didn't want to feel indebted to anyone, I couldn't refuse, because having no money was getting to be way too much.

I started working Saturdays again, and my bank account is replenishing, slowly but surely. When I reflect on all that happened, I think this whole situation hit me so hard because I was so used to not worrying about money. Going from having some spending money, to having absolutely no cash was totally devastating for me.

Throughout the past few months, I've learned the importance of being as frugal as possible, and not spending in excess. I haven't spent large portions at once (for example, I used to buy expensive concert tickets left and right), and I haven't had a night out (clubbing/drinking) in a while. To satisfy my cosmetics obsession, I've been entering as many giveaways as possible which has actually been hugely successful. I've won three giveaways to-date which is astounding to me because I've never won anything otherwise. It's been good. I'm getting better, and becoming more aware of my spending habits. I don't eat out as much and I try to pick and choose shopping opportunities.

I guess the point of this post is to basically tell my story, and to say that sometimes it's not easy. Your friend could be going through the same situation, so if they tell you that they can't afford an outing, please be considerate. They're not trying to avoid spending time with you. Maybe they genuinely don't have the means. Also, if you're having a financial situation, definitely go to your parents. My mom explained that she doesn't mind giving me money when she can, just to not abuse asking her for it.

It gets me thinking about how money really manipulates my emotions. It seems so foolish that something as materialistic as a piece of currency could have such profound effects. Anger and sadness and helplessness. I wish it weren't the case.

Alrighty, so I hope that didn't bore you all to death! If you managed to get through this whole thing, do let me know in the comments :)

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Today I have a really nice eyeshadow look that I threw on quickly this morning. It features my Maybelline Color Tattoo in the color Pomegranate Punk, which translates as that amazing oxblood color everyone is raving about for fall.

I find that red-toned browns look really amazing with hazel eyes because it makes them appear more golden than brown. Of course, complimented with gold-brown eyeliner, they're enhanced even more! I'm loving this Color Tattoo because it's super easy to apply (I just use my fingers) and blend out. To get a really opaque finish, it's normal that you'll need to apply multiple layers. I also love it because I don't feel the need to use a primer before application.

All-over lid color: Maybelline Color Tattoo in Pomegranate Punk

Crease/blending color: Urban Decay Buck

Eyeliner: NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in French Fries

Mascara: Maybelline Falsies Flared

All in all, the look is really simple for every day so I recommend trying it out for yourself!

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

As you may have realized by now, I am very keen on entering as many giveaways as possible, and I love sharing all of them with you! I know I already posted one this month but I came across a few new ones so I didn't want to leave them unmentioned.

Out Of Liner is having a 100 follower celebration giveaway that includes the beauty items above! (How funny that OPI Nail Envy was on my most recent wish list!?) It ends on October 27th so enter as soon as you can. CLICK HERE

The Amazing World of J is giving away a MAC lipstick and a MAC blush in your shades of choice to one of her followers which is a really great deal! You have until October 20th to enter! CLICK HERE

Blushing Noir is giving away two Butter London polishes in the shades Dodgy Barnett and Trustafarian (you can go check out her blog for swatches!). This giveaway ends on October 25th. CLICK HERE

Starry Eyed Beauty is giving away a MAC blush and MAC eyeshadow in your shade of choice. Her giveaway ends on October 30th! CLICK HERE

Natalie Roseanne is giving away this awesome mini Sugarbomb set by Benefit Cosmetics. Such a great little bundle to win :) Her giveaway ends in like, 50+ days so you have quite some time to enter (December 10th). CLICK HERE

Ellalogy is giving away a Sugar lip treatment (really moisturizing product, by the way), and a Deborah Lippmann nail polish (very exciting chance if you've never owned one before!). The giveaway ends on November 1st. CLICK HERE

A Berry Sweet Life is holding this awesome Pretty Little Liars inspired giveaway! It includes NARS blush in Mata Hari, and a Clinique Chubby stick! This giveaway ends on October 22nd. CLICK HERE

The Lovecats Inc. is offering this massive hamper of beauty goodies so you would be crazy not to enter this giveaway! It includes Barry M, Essie, Soap & Glory, and more beauty favorites. This giveaway ends on November 1st. CLICK HERE

X-Couturegirl-X is giving away a bunch of beauty blogger favorites including the ones above. There are better photos on her blog so be sure to check that out. The giveaway ends on November 6th. CLICK HERE

Let me know in the comments if you are currently holding a giveaway because I would be glad to include it in this post or my next one!

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

I never have enough products to do a proper haul on this blog, but yesterday I felt like I had gathered a good bunch of products lately so I figured today would be the day: my first haul post!

The reason why I haven't done a haul before is because I've been desperately trying to save up my money. If you've been a reader of mine since the very beginning, you'll know that I spent a portion of my summer in Italy, wherein I literally drained my bank account to $0 (come to think of it, it might be interesting to do a blog post on what it's like to be completely broke lol!).

However, upon entering tons and tons of giveaways, I have been able to keep up this blog solely on giveaway wins (incredible, right?), so I'll go through the products and let you guys know how I acquired each of them.

Benefit "Benetint" Lip & Cheek Stain: I've always been super intrigued by this product because it's the one that Benefit Cosmetics built its company from. It originally started out as a nipple stain for a stripper (!?) and then a whole line of cosmetics grew from there. Being a big fan of Benefit, I knew I had to try this product at some point in my life, so when @BenefitCanada was doing a Twitter giveaway, I entered immediately and won! Yay! :D

Aussie 3-Minute Miracle Conditioner: If you read my previous wishlist post, you will know that this product, along with the Revlon balm stain and Rimmel Stay Matte powder were on there. Well, I was having a terrible day on Sunday, and yesterday, my mom surprised me with them! She literally came on my blog, wrote down the products and went out to buy them for me! Best mom award. Anyway, I'm going to write a proper review of this product in the next few days (I'll try it when I shower later today!).

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in "Honey": Again, this a product my mom surprised me with. I'd been looking for this baby for weeks and weeks and could never find it in-stock. I should also mention that, according to my mama, this product is marginally cheaper if you buy it at Wal-Mart as opposed to Pharmaprix (or Shopper's Drug Mart if you don't live in Quebec).

China Glaze "Prism": Alright, so I purchased this product along with the NYX eyeliners using $25 PayPal I won in a giveaway. The giveaway was originally for a Sephora e-gift certificate, but because those aren't eligible for use in Canada, Meredith (the girl I won from), was nice enough to wire me some PayPal money. I should also mention that she doesn't advertise her giveaways very much, so your odds in winning are very good: http://nycmakeuplover1.blogspot.ca/p/giveaways.html. Surprisingly, I have a total of 0 glitter polishes so I knew I should invest in a good one!

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils in "Pacific" and "French Fries": So I got these with my $25 PayPal money as well, and the website I purchased them from is BeautyJoint.com. I can't remember how I found this website, but they sell brands that are difficult to get in Canada (or at least Quebec) like China Glaze and NYX, and they only charge a flat rate of like, $3.50 for shipping. Incredible. I'm definitely going to be purchasing more of these because I can already tell I love them.

Essie "Bahama Mama": In addition to my wishlist surprises, my mom also picked up this nail polish for me. Now... How on Earth did she know that this is the fall nail color? I have no idea. Anyway, can't wait to wear this because I've heard so many great things about it.

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder: Tanya Burr talks about this product non-stop, and I'm running out of my current pressed power, so I'm very excited to try this out. I love the way it makes her skin look in her tutorials!

Maybelline Color Tattoo in "Pomegranate Punch": This is probably the only product on here that I purchased with my own hard-earned money (not bad, huh?). I got this one at Shopper's about a month ago when I was in Ontario. It was about $9 as opposed to $3.50 at Wal-Mart (insane), but it was out of stock there and I was dying to have this shade after seeing Amarixe's swatches.

Sally Hansen Kwik Off (not photographed individually): This is kind of boring, but I like using this product as a nail polish remover and we were out so my mom picked up a new one. Not very exciting but I thought I'd throw it in lol.

Here are some swatches and initial impressions of these products...

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in "Honey": It's a little more on the brown side than I hoped for. Have yet to swatch it on the lips.

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils: These babies glide on amazingly. I'm probably going to use French Fries on a daily basis, and save Pacific for spring and summer. Also, I may or may not have picked one up for an upcoming giveaway.......

Maybelline Color Tattoo in "Pomegranate Punch": I adore this color for fall! I can't believe I haven't seen any beauty guru use it in a tutorial yet. Maybe I can be the first? :O

Benetint Lip & Cheek Stain: Admittedly, this isn't a life-changing product and the color is very, very subtle. I'll use it on a day where I'm feeling a little pale.

I hope you liked my first ever haul post! Let me know if you want to see in-depth review of any of these products in particular because I would be happy to do so.

Monday, October 15, 2012

Hey guys! These photos have been sitting on my computer for a while now because I was hesitant about posting them. I don't think the photos are very good and I did this just for fun so it's not the cleanest makeup job ever. Anyway, I copied Tanya Burr's YouTube tutorial on "How To Look Gorgeous For a Night Out" because I thought this look was going to be relatively easy to achieve.

I like the idea of extending the eyeliner up into the crease, however I had difficulty gauging how close to the center of the eye I should bring the cut crease. Next time I'm going to bring it in a little more, and I'm going to try making it less tapered and more diffused.

I mostly used my Coastal Scents Smokey Palette for the purple tones (click here for my review), but my all-over lid color was Virgin from my Urban Decay Naked Palette. I used my ELF shader brush to pack on the color, but my Sigma tapered blending brush for blending. I cannot stress how amazing this brush is for blending! You can see my full review of it by clicking here.

Friday, October 12, 2012

Hey everyone! I've been meaning to do this post for a while now, because I keep a post-it on my laptop with a list of products I have my eye on, and to be honest, there's no more room for any thing else on it... Oops... So I've gathered all the products I want into some graphics and I've noted which YouTubers have recommended them!

1) Rimmel Stay Matte Powder: Tanya Burr or Pixi2Woo on YouTube uses this powder in just about all of her tutorials. What I love is that you can literally see this product mattifying her skin as she uses it, so you know it does the trick! Also, she recently mentioned that this might be her all-time favorite drugstore product and from what I've seen, I definitely believe her.

2) Tarte Lip Surgent Holiday Giftset: So nobody on YouTube recommended these (that I know of) but I swatched them in Sephora once and absolutely fell in love. They glide right on and they're so beautifully pigmented, but unfortunately the price is definitely not up my alley at all. However, their holiday giftset is now on-sale and I believe they're selling a pack of FIVE of them for $37 USD or something crazy like that! Ahh!

3) Urban Decay Vice Palette: Rachel or ICallItAmbrosia on YouTube reviewed this palette in a video, and to be honest, I literally want to go out and buy everything she recommends. I've purchased products on her recommendation in the past and haven't been disappointed. Plus, being a lover of the Naked palette and Urban Decay shadows in general, this just seems like a really nice investment.

4) MAC Extradimension Skinfinish in "Whisper of Gilt": NikkieTutorials uses these extradimension skinfinishes in some (or actually, most) of her tutorials and the effect is super gorgeous. This also comes in "Superb" which Nikkie uses as well, but I find that color too pink to use as a highlighter, so I'm sticking with this one. Unfortunately, these were limited edition, BUT, MAC is re-releasing them in one of their lines coming out in November, so I'm definitely not going to miss out on this!

5) Aussie 3-Minute Miracle Conditioner: I think Rachel mentioned this, like, once in a haircare video (I think she was reviewing Macadamia products) but considering she loves it and it's really cheap, I'm definitely willing to try it out. My hair is literally getting crispy so I think it could benefit from a bit of deep conditioning.

6) MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in "Soft & Gentle": Louise or SprinkleOfGlitter on YouTube recommends this MSF like crazy. I also think she got Zoe into it (and maybe Fleur, I'm not sure)! I've been wanting to try a MAC MSF for such a long time now, but I want to invest in one that I'm actually going to get a lot of use out of and not use only for special occasions and stuff. I think Louise said she's gone through multiple of these so it looks like this is the one! And it's in MAC's permanent collection so I don't have to worry about it selling out. Yay!

7) Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in "Honey": I know that pretty much every YouTuber has reviewed or recommended this at some point, but the most recent mention of this product has been by EssieButton. I think she talked about it in her Autumn haul video, and she purchased the exact color I've been wanting: Honey. I've been on the hunt for this specific color for ages but it seems to be sold out wherever I go! :(

8) Lush Magic Wand Bubble Bar: Zoe featured this product in her most recent haul and, I mean, just look at it. SO CUTE! Basically, you swish this around in your bath tub, and voila, bubbles! Apparently it smells like their scent called Snow Fairy, which is known as the LUSH winter scent. It's been described as very sugary sweet which sounds exactly like something I'd like. (Also, just note that I've written her YouTube wrong in the graphic above. It's actually "Zoella280390" with a 0 on the end. Oops!)

9) NARS Blush in "Sin": Honestly, everyone is obsessed with Orgasm, but Sin is really the blush that stands out to me in regards to NARS. I've actually been wanting it for quite some time now. It looks like the perfect fall shade (EssieButton talked about it in her top autumn blushes), and it's a color unlike any other blush I own. It doesn't really look like it in the photo, but I've swatched it at Sephora and it has a really plum-y tint to it!

10) OPI Nail Envy: I've been searching for a nail strengthener for a while now, and I've been recommended this product countless of times. Essie talked about it in a recent video, and she said she's noticed her nails getting stronger and not breaking as much. I have such a problem with my nails breaking, especially when I shape them "square", the corners become really fragile (that was a really weird thing to try and describe lol).

11) Seche Vite Top Coat: This seems to be like the nail guru top coat, but when it comes to nail recommendations, I seem to really trust MissJenFabulous. Her nails are always so perfectly manicured, and she uses this top coat in every tutorial. I recently ran out of my Sally Hansen top coat, so I think I'm going to try this one out next!

12) Batiste Dry Shampoo: Ingrid or MissGlamorazzi on YouTube included this dry shampoo in her London haul during the summer, and for some reason her recommendation really stuck with me and it's been on my wishlist ever since. I've been looking for a dry shampoo because I wash my hair every couple of days, so it would be nice for my hair to have a little pick-me-up on the second or third days. I doubt this is available in Canada so I'm going to try to find a place to buy it online! If anyone knows where I can get it, please let me know in the comments!

And that ends my current wishlist! (Except, not really, because I could literally think of 10-12 more products to include here lol!). Let me know if you enjoyed this post or if you have any reviews of these products because I would love to hear about them!

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Hey everyone! I haven't done a tag in quite a while (at least that's what it feels like), so I thought it might be nice to do a quick one for today because I feel like being talkative! I picked this up from MissJenFabulous on YouTube (if you aren't subscribed to her then you should be!). I will tag a few specific bloggers but everyone is welcome to join in on this tag :)Favorite Fall lip product?I have an entire blog post on this that I wrote up a couple days ago (click HERE). But apart from those, I love using my LUSH lip scrub (bubblegum flavor) because my lips tend to get flakey when it's cold.

Favorite Fall Nail Polish?This is tough because I like changing up my nail polish quite a bit and never really stick to one specific polish, but I really like wearing greys and taupes when it starts to get cold because I feel like those colors are more weather-appropriate and I don't get to bring them out in the warmer months! BUT I've wanting Essie's Bahama Mama because everyone talks about it so much!Favorite Starbucks Fall Drink?Pumpkin Spice Latte, of course! I look forward to having this every fall. But apparently there's a pumpkin spice latte shortage going on right now... Not cool...

Favorite Fall Candle?I just finished a mini-sized Pumpkin Caramel Latte from B&BW so I'll have to go pick up the 3-wick one soon.Favorite Fall Scarf or accessoryHmm, no specific item comes to mind, but I like wearing pashminas during this time of year. I have a ton of different colors.Haunted house, haunted hay ride, or haunted corn maze?I've never been on a haunted hay ride or in a haunted corn maze, but I hate haunted houses! I don't like being scared lol!Favorite Halloween movie?I like the Disney Halloween movies, like Halloweentown High, Twitches, and Phantom of the Megaplex. Surprisingly, I don't think I've ever seen Hocus Pocus (!?). But yeah, I'm such a child haha, I can't wait until they start airing these.

Favorite candy to eat on Halloween?Laffy Taffy! I feel like this a Halloween exclusive, for some reason. I never come across them throughout the rest of the year. Oh and I love Rockets too!

What are you dressing up as for Halloween?!Ehhh, I'm not sure! I don't know if I'm doing anything for Halloween yet (to be honest, I like everything that comes with Halloween, but I hate the task of dressing up!). What is your Favorite thing about Fall?My favorite thing about fall is just the general coziness of the season. And all the TV shows that start up again. And Pumpkin Spice Lattes.I tag: Face This City, Southern Glamourista, Pandora's Basket, Sophie Rose Hearts, and Vibrant Beauty Blog

Friday, October 5, 2012

Last month I made an entire post dedicated to giveaways going on in the beauty blogger community as a way to get you guys into entering contests and such. (CLICK HERE to view it, there are some giveaways on there that haven't ended yet!) That post has now become my most-viewed post of all time which indicates to me that you really enjoyed it! So without further ado, here are the giveaways I have been entering recently. (Note that they are all either international or at least Canadian)

LolaStarHearts is giving away an Illamasqua beauty box which is, in my opinion, an awesome way to sample Illamasqua products if you haven't yet tried them. This giveaway ends on October 23rd. CLICK HERE

Tattooed Tea Lady is giving away a ton of skincare essentials, including UK brands, so if you live in North America/elsewhere in the world where you cannot get ahold of these, this is a great opportunity! This giveaway ends on November 2nd. CLICK HERE (Note that the above photo was taken by Sophia of Tattoed Tea Lady)

Lipstick Fridays is giving away 50 pounds worth of NARS makeup (that's about $79 CAD given the current exchange rate!). Good news is that you have tons of time to enter this because it ends on December 31st. CLICK HERE

Captivating Claws is giving away some great nail polishes (including Essie, OPI and DD) to celebrate one year of blogging! This giveaway ends on October 16th. CLICK HERE

The Scholarly Nail is giving away awesome Halloween-theme nail polish prize packs, including China Glaze, Sally Hansen and OPI. The beauty of this giveaway: there are FIVE chances to win! This giveaway ends on October 16th. CLICK HERE

EndlessPanache is giving away a bundle of beauty items including brands such as MAC and Inglot (two of my favorite!). The giveaway ends on October 30th. CLICK HERE

The Lacquer Factor is giving away Orly's Naughty or Nice holiday collection. In my experience, Orly is some of the highest quality nail polish that's out there, so be sure to enter this giveaway! It ends on October 20th. CLICK HERE

Laurzie Mack is giving away this bundle of NARS items! Super exciting considering NARS is an incredible brand. I'm always happy when I see NARS being given away lol! This giveaway ends on October 30th. CLICK HERE

Where Is My Mind? is giving away a box of cool beauty items. I'm really intrigued by her choice of Calvin Klein makeup because I've never tried it before! This giveaway ends on October 14th. CLICK HERE

Both Meg's Budget Boutique and The Beauty Belle are giving away your choice of MAC lipstick. Coincidentally, both of these end on October 11th! CLICK HERE for Meg's Budget Boutique and CLICK HERE for The Beauty Belle.

Epiphanniea is giving away MAC's Love Goddess from their Marilyn Monroe collection. If you didn't get a chance to pick this one up, definitely enter because it's a limited edition lipstick! This giveaway ends on November 8th! CLICK HERE

So that's it! Let me know if you have a giveaway going on at the moment and I will be sure to enter and add you to this post :)